Derek Jeter's lousy defense will cost the Yankees in his final season

By Major League standards, Derek Jeter is a lousy defensive shortstop. Even in his heyday, the Yanks captain was overrated in the field, his steady hands and strong arm allowing him to only partly make up for his lack of range. His five career Gold Gloves stand as more of an indictment of that award than a testament to his ability.

It was never for lack of effort. Yankees play-by-play man Michael Kay has called out, “Just past a diving Jeter!” so frequently that it’s practically the broadcaster’s catchphrase. Beyond whatever extent Jeter has resisted playing DH or shifting positions, he has always done his best to help his club with what he has.

But what he has simply doesn’t measure up to other MLB regulars at his position: By both UZR and defensive runs saved, arguably baseball’s two most accurate advanced defensive stats, Jeter has been significantly below average in every season but one dating back to 2002. Since 2010, he ranks second to last in UZR and dead last in defensive runs saved among all big-league shortstops with at least 2000 innings at the position.

Now, at 39 years old and coming off a season ruined by lower-body injuries, Jeter looks even worse to the eye in the middle infield. Here’s a play he tried to make on a potential double-play ball in the Yanks’ 14-5 loss to the Orioles on Tuesday:

It’s an issue. Throughout his career, Jeter was a good enough hitter — one of the best all-time at his position — to prove valuable despite his limitations in the middle infield. He will be, and deserves to be, a first-ballot Hall of Famer. But if Jeter’s range or bat have further diminished, trotting him out to shortstop every day risks hurting the Yankees in his final season.

By defensive runs saved, Jeter cost the Yanks a total of 33 runs in the field compared to average MLB shortstops over his last two full seasons in 2011 and 2012. According to UZR, he cost the Yankees 20.7 runs against the average over that same span.

The Yankees feature Hiroki Kuroda and Ivan Nova in their starting rotation, two pitchers who rely on inducing ground balls to get outs. Splitter-dealing Japanese import Masahiro Tanaka appears likely to prove a third.

(USA TODAY Sports Images)

Those pitchers, even more so than most, would stand to benefit from strong defensive play behind them in the infield. They won’t get it when Jeter starts: You can’t hide a poor defender at the toughest position on the diamond. And the Yankees have yet to use Jeter at designated hitter this season.

It’s worth noting, too, that the Yanks’ bullpen has been depleted by the loss of retired closer Mariano Rivera and now an injury to Rivera’s replacement, David Robertson. More cheap hits off Kuroda, Nova and Tanaka will lead to inflated pitch counts for the starters, forcing Joe Girardi to turn to his bullpen earlier in games and taxing a relief corps that might not be up to the task.

Even if Jeter performs worse than ever before in the field in 2014, the Yankees will abide the trade-off if he can still hit like he did in 2012, when he batted .316 with a .362 on-base percentage.

Anything lower than that production, though, and Jeter will likely be a below-average all-around MLB shortstop in 2014, a year in which the Yankees have pretty obviously gone all-in to contend as they usher their captain into retirement. Meanwhile, Stephen Drew, a fine defensive infielder and a capable hitter, remains available in free agency.

The Yanks will likely stick with Jeter at shortstop as often as possible in 2014, perhaps in part to avoid the awkwardness associated with pushing aside a beloved franchise legend in his final big-league season. But if Jeter struggles enough on either side of the ball to jeopardize the fruits of the team’s $450-plus million offseason investments, the club may have to face that very uncomfortable situation before the year is out.

By Major League standards, Derek Jeter is a lousy defensive shortstop. Even in his heyday, the Yanks captain was overrated in the field, his (…)

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